On-tap at the brew-pub, free pitcher courtesy of the head brewer, Dean prior to a tour of the facility.

Pour: translucent sunburst of orange-amber, golden highlights, and a couple fingers of of soapy khaki foam and beautiful lacing. Quite a looker.

Nose: bursting with gobs of juicy grapefruit and resinous pine hops, while caramel malt takes an understated but well-played backseat.

Taste: amazing citrus and pine tar hops for an amber. with apricot and honey adding sweetness and vanilla/caramel malt rounding out the body.

Feel: smooth, creamy body, with crisp tickling carbonation.

Drinkability/Overall: one of those 'West-coast' ambers that some may say 'cheat' with the aggressive hopping, but when it tastes this good, who the hell cares? This sits right at the top of the amber style for me, and when bottled (within the month) and more widely-distributed, will undoubtedly become a staple in my beer fridge. Look out, Two-Hearted. (954 characters)

Pours a dense, frothy head that is resiny. Bright citrus hop aroma. Stunning red-amber color. Starts assertively hoppy with big notes of grapefruit, and pine in the backgroud. I could just smell this for days on end (much like AA's "Bedlam." Not overly bitter, though. Peaks in a nice hoppiness and medium bitterness, then the malt bursts through to melt with that pine sap hop in the finish.

Perfectly balanced is the best description for this. This is stunning. It is hoppy, yet so masterfully balanced. This is the bier that turned me on to hoppy biers. It has all the Hops you could ever want, skips the abrasive bitterness, and still manages to do Wisconsin proud by letting that malt pop in so well. (706 characters)

Pours an excellent orange and amber color with a big white head that left great lacing and retained very well. Smell is full of pungent grapefruit and citrus hops. The beer was poured cold into a regular pint glass, not exactly the best for accenting aromas, but it still had plenty of aroma coming right to me. Taste has a good malt background, even a touch of biscuit in there while still having the hops be the leaders. It was nice to be able to have a malt background and still be pummeled with hops, one of the hoppier beers I've had as of late. Higher than medium bodied with medium carbonation levels, just seemed to fit very well with this one. Very drinkable, I could drink this by the pitcher, and perhaps I'll just have to do that next time. Excellent beer here, this is worth seeking out. (800 characters)

Overall - High quality beer from a local brewer that's largely overshadowed by better known high-quality local brewers. This is probably their best known offering, though, with a well deserved following. (555 characters)

Ushers into the mouth, with the flailing hop spume creating undertows in the gentler malt wave. It rises first with a toasted sense of nuttiness and breads, with almonds, walnuts, and phantoms of rye. It sweetens at the crest, full of monkeybread, peanut brittle, and frosted apple turnovers. It crashes thunderously. Churning citric pulp of grapefruit, lime, and orange, and rasps it across a bed of rosewater and dried lilac. The citric hues ebb as the rip current of floral dry notes surges back across the tongue. It recedes with a ferocious pull of black pepper. The remaining wash lingers with churning eddies of dried herb spiciness.

Moderate in to and across the mouth. For a beer as dynamic as this, the structure seems a bit spare. But that may indeed be its glory. The slightly thin feel enables this to be gulped, if not ultimately inhaled and drowned upon. (1,081 characters)

A: Nice solid red amber. Hint of haze. Creamy colored soft finger head dissipated to a thin layer and ring but is with you throughout. Lacing is pretty good - abstract spottiness.

S: Light and uplifting citrus smell. Mostly lemony for me. The caramel malt and typical sour ale is there but the citrus is dominant and thank goodness because it is lovely. There may be a hint of sweet floral there too.

T: I got some peppery notes up front with the typical caramel and breadiness following. There throughout but farther back on the palate is the citrus hop. The citrus has some sweetness coming through also. The finish goes into a dry and bitter hop aftertaste. It never delivers a big hop bite but it is pleasing nonetheless.

M: Medium body. Malt makes it feel quick full and creamy. The medium to low carb works well and keeps it lively.

D: I was expecting more of a hop kick from this beer based on the description. Having said that, I really enjoyed it and knocked it back so quickly, I was sad that I didn't have another. I am really developing a taste for reds that have an American IPA aggressiveness to them. (1,178 characters)

Ambergeddon pours a darkish cloudy reddish color with a small but lasting and lacing head. There is a nice bold hoppy and malty aroma. The taste is bold, good malt backbone, with strong floral hop flavors. Drinkable and strong bold flavors. Overall a high quality red ale. (272 characters)

Ale Asylum Ambergeddon is a clear, amber (almost copper) ale with a thin, splotchy off-white head with a bunch of oily bubbles on it. It leaves nice lacing on the glass. There's a lot of yeast in the bottom of the bottle. It has a huge, fresh hoppy aroma. It's piny and resiny with a hint of tangerine. The malt smells biscuity and a hint sweet. It smells like an IPA. It's medium bodied and incredibly smooth with a very clean finish. I taste a lot of hops (simcoe?). The caramelly malt flavor comes in at the finish. This is very good. It really seems like an IPA. (566 characters)

Appearance: Pours a nice amber-orange color, slight bit of haze and medium head that lingers.

Smell: Some malt with a bit of hop character (a little piney, a little danky). Nothing overwhelming but it is about what you'd expect from a hoppy amber beer. Could potentially use more aromatics from hops but probably wouldn't substantially improve the smell.

Taste: Very nice malt-forward taste I'm guessing from a decent amount of Munich malt. It is very well balanced with the hop bitterness toward the back of the tongue after a few seconds. Can't say anything particularly bad about the flavor: it's a great amber!

Mouthfeel: Smooth, although there may be a touch too much carbonation that definitely is noticeable on the palate.

Overall: I really like it. As far as ambers go, this is on the bitter side but definitely not either in a bad way or in an unbalanced way (for instance, a West coast amber). Highly recommended. (927 characters)

Another beer in my quest for more Ale Asylum -- they just continue to impress.

This is not 'just another beer' though, I must say this is the best amber I've ever had. There are always hoppy red ales available, and those are great, but this is a nice deviation from the norm.

A: Pretty much get what you're advertised; the beer is a pure amber color. There is a surprising amount of sediment though, kind of worried me the first time 'round. In addition, a rocky, khaki colored head adorns the top of this Topaz jewel.

S: this really is surprisingly hoppy. There is enough sweet caramel malt to back it up though and prevent it from becoming a single-minded hop bomb.

T: much like the smell, but more sweetness comes through, maybe a touch of spice and dried apricot. At 6.8% ABV, I can't believe how well the alcohol is masked.

Bold, brassy tangerine with a wealth of fine carbonation streaming upward to a beautifully bubbly cap of whipped creamy froth. A stationary cloud of fine particles reminds me that unfiltered beer is the best looking beer. This is a gorgeous amber ale.

Ambergeddon's nose is pure hop heaven. Well, maybe not quite pure. There's a little caramel maltiness that is easily pushed aside by all the humulus lupulus love. I smell candied orange and grapefruit peel, as well as something floral that reminds me of rose petals. It's a bit of an odd combination, but I love it.

Speaking of love... this is delicious beer. I thought pretty highly of Mad Town Nut Brown and Hopalicious, but this beer is in a whole 'nother league. The best part is that the brewers didn't just dump a ton of hops into the kettle. Actually, they did, but they did much more than that. They crafted an amazing, hoppy-as-hell amber ale in the process.

The neck label admits that only 'a hint of malt backbone' is present. Yes and no. Even though malt doesn't contribute much with regard to flavor (just 'a hint' of caramel), there's enough behind the scenes to keep the hops from being too buzzsaw harsh. To a hophead, they got the proportions juuust right.

Candied grapefruit has now pulled even with candied orange, and I can still appreciate that rose petal vibe that I noted in the nose. I like it just fine since it adds a 'differentness' to the beer that sets it apart from so many other highly-hopped American ales. When are these guys going to brew an IPA or a DIPA, I wonder?

While I would have welcomed a bigger, chewier mouthfeel, I'm fine with the one that Ale Asylum has provided. It's big enough to get the job done. What job is that, you ask? The job of keeping the beer on the taste buds long enough for all the hoppiness to be appreciated in full. I'm especially enjoying the light, resiny linger. Note: warming equals bliss equals a score bump.

Ambergeddon more than lives up to its name and its label. My bottle is at least several months old so I can't imagine what this beer tastes like right out of the hopper. If I could rub a genie's lamp right about now, my first wish would be for this 12 ounce bottle to turn into a bomber. My second wish would be for distribution to Iowa. My third? Oh, I don't know... home delivery sounds good. (2,343 characters)

An american amber with a ton of hop flavor, this is one of the best Amber's i've had. Looks like a typical amber with a light ammount of head. The smell gives this one away, tons of citrus hop overtones. The taste is really great. It hits you in the face with grapefruit hops and then balances it out with a smooth carmel malt back bone to leave you without a lot of bitterness in the after taste. I can't stress enough the extremely good balance between the hops and malt flavors, even though the hops are what shine through.
Great brew ale asylum, keep 'em coming (567 characters)

Taste: first sip slapped my tongue with its bitterness, but that reaction was brief; it disappeared after the second sip. A caramely maltiness envelopes the tongue with a light toastiness. Hops leave a sort of citrus tang and a spiced tingle in the mouth. I didn't find it overbearing and the balance was very tasty!

A - nice amber-red with a thin off white head. S - an abundance of pine and grapefruit hop notes dominate. T - a hint of caramel backbone, but this is all about the hops. Strong but not harsh sypmphony of pine and grapefruit hop notes dominate. M - medium bodied, creamy, pungent hop notes with a nice clean sharp finishD - wow, a hopheads american amber for sure. On the nice drinkable side of things but at the upper end of the range of hoppy for this style without a doubt.

A gem from WI if you have a chance to try I'd say go for it, particularly if you love hops! (623 characters)

Acquired from brewcrew76, so a big "Thank You" goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a bright amber color, with a short white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is fruity and hoppy with a good background of caramelized malt.

T: The taste is well balanced with a nice burst of floral hops along with citrus and caramel sweetness. The malt character is hearty. As the sweetness fades, the hops presence reasserts itself and leaves a slightly bitter after-taste.

A: Pours a golden amber color with one finger of bubbly off-white head, with plenty of lacing.

S: There's a lot going on here- the West Coast influence is quite obvious in the immediately noticeable quantities of pine and citrus hops. Caramel malts round out the aroma to make it a very enjoyable one.

T: Here, the caramel malts stand out over the hops, which provide a balancing, light bitter finish. Very well done, in perfect proportions to one another.

Thanks to Mike Koel for getting his brother in law to pick up a case of this for me directly from the brewery. You can't get this stuff in Maryland...

A delicious treat for hop lovers as well as amber/red lovers. I am both. I liken this beer to a darker Dale's Pale Ale. It's a highly drinkable amber with little to no flaws.

The citrus hop notes are definitely present, but understated compared to huge hop bombs. However, this beer is definitely for hop lovers, as the malt is just there to balance to complexity and deliciousness of the hops.

A Grade-A brew that I otherwise may have never tried if it wasn't for a Wisconsin friend's generosity. He shipped a well-packaged case all the way to Virginia. Now that's beer advocacy! (734 characters)

The crossed-pistols and single-gold-toothed skull on the black and gold label seem to imply a "take no prisoners" / "live life on your own terms" attitude, and the beer itself carries that message through. It's a hazy chestnut with glowing orange highlights beneath a frothy head of ivory. The head retention is quite good, and it leaves impressive lacing at the outset of the glass, followed by thin curtains of torn lace as you progress through the glass. Pungent, sharp, tart grapefruit leaps out at you in the nose, backed only by a whispy curtain of pine and a delicate waft of lightly caramelish maltiness. In the mouth it's medium bodied and creamy-smooth with a very-fine bubbled, moderate natural-carbonation from bottle-conditioning. The flavor offers more grapefruit, and a touch of pine, but it's at least somewhat reigned in by balancing malt. It's sweetish, but just enough to balance it and keep the resinousy hops afloat; and it's caramelish, falling somewhere between medium and medium-dark. A bold bitterness anchors it from a malty-sweet side, but the hop flavors are let loose to run free. Intense! It's initially like squeezing a fistfull of wet hops, but that gives way to more maltiness as you get further into it. It seems to have a bit of strength to it, but the alcohol never really shows. I'd like it to be more rounded, but I'm not sure how that could be possible without losing a bit of what it already has going for it. And I wonder how drinkable it could be on a pint to pint basis? For the hop heads of the world, here's to you!!! (1,562 characters)

Another stubby little twelve ounce bottle that I had never heard of that I received in a trade recently. Once it was mentioned I knew I just had to try some! Served cold, right out of the fridge, this one was poured into a pint glass and consumed 07/31/2008.

The pour was very nice. A rich golden amber color with a slight bit of haziness to it immediately took up the majority of the glass. Rich appearance, with some good carbonation streaming up toward the top of the glass. A good two inches of white frothy head appeared at first and settled down to a broken crown that produced some decent side glass lace.

The aroma was very hoppy and at first this through me for a bit of a loop, but of course I just went with it because I had to! Nice tones of orange, grapefruit and pineapple were all very nicely done with a light malted base providing a touch of bready and biscuit like malts in the middle. The flavor was more of the same. Started out with a rush of citrus hops, nice bite from the grapefruit and pineapple here, but once they passed it became amazingly well balanced. Nice tones again here of biscuit and grain, subtle, as I would call this barely an amber ale, but the finish was more indicative of the style, with a musky bready like taste that started to fade only to be replaced by a dry, bitter, hoppy bite. Nice light bodied amber that bordered on medium with more then enough carbonation to keep it from getting stale. Easily session able as I was looking for another right out of the gate, this was exactly where it was at for drinkability.

Overall I thought this was an excellent beer. Something a little bit more hoppy then the style usually commands, but still very well done indeed. I would have no issues at all with having this one around on a constant basis, as it was just that good. Kudos to them for coming up with a great little beer here. I need to find me some more of this one as well. (1,925 characters)

ambergeddon4 hazy light amber clears after awhile. short head leaves an attractive cap and helter skelter lacework.4-4.5 pine up front, grapefruit in the back. picking up various other hop aromas too, like grassy/floral. some orange as it warms. much more of an ipa/apa nose than amber. caramel not around in any significant quantity.4-4.5 the hops dominate the flavor too, and the bitterness is quite crisp--not embracing like a typical ipa, not subdued or matched by sweetness or other flavors like a typical amber. aftertaste is honest, clean, and hoppy. all in all i'd classify it as an assertive apa.4 light-med body, no shortage of carbonation, none of the usual crystal or other bodybuilding malts of a normal amber.4.5 sort of like an SNPA very pleasantly amped up and dried out, and with a little more complexity (that might make it sound pretty unlike an SNPA after all, but there really is a significant shared core of flavor, but here everything that dissappoints me in the sn offering is remedied here and augmented with strengths). this is really good stuff, worth seeking out. (1,096 characters)

Im leery of lumping hop bomb reds like this and Troegs Nugget Nectar in with the likes of Capital Amber or Leinies Red. It almost seems like cheating. Comparatively, all regular reds and ambers should get straight ones or twos when held up to imperials like this and so I find my self reviewing three styles of beer, (Amber, Red, and Imp. Red), within one category on BA. Despite my hesitancy to rate the imperials considerably higher than perfectly drinkable but much less hopped reds and ambers, I have to admit that this is one kick-but beer. Appearance is a dark amber-red with orange hues and a thin creamy off white head. Aromas of pine resin and grapefruit are strong. Malts are present but the decent toffee/caramel backbone is largely overshadowed by huge citrus hops. This beer is juicy, pulpy, 100% grapefruit. Its damn delicious, very bitter, but with a creamy finish reminiscent of Dreadnaught. I will even go as far as to say that this is the best of Ale Asylums initial 10 offerings. (1,006 characters)